LEST WE FORGET
Leading Aircraftman Allen John DUMSCHAT
Service No: 77635
Born: Bundaberg QLD, 4 February 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 August 1942
Unit: No. 7 Airfield Construction Squadron, Lae PNG
Died: Ground Accident, Cape Cretin PNG, 11 April 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Lae War Cemetery PNG
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Gustav Albert and Lily Dumschat; husband of Mary Ellen Dumschat, of Drayton, Queensland
Roll of Honour: Nambour QLD
Remembered: Panel 114, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 11 April 1944, preparations were being made at Cape Cretin, Papua New Guinea, to unload equipment from a US ship and members of a RAAF party were engaged in bolting into position the guide poles for a mechanical elevator which carried heavy equipment between the top deck and the tank deck. During the work the elevator platform crashed to the lower deck and three RAAF members of the loading party were killed and others were injured.
Those killed were:
Leading Aircraftman James Armstrong (58696) (Fitter Driver Motor Transport)
Leading Aircraftman Allen John Dumschat (77635) (Fitter Driver Motor Transport)
Leading Aircraftman Hugh Eric Roberts (78603) (Cook’s Assistant)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/10/207